By Reading This, You Are Stating That You Are 18 Years Of Age. If You Are Under The Age Of 18, It Is Necessary To Exit This Site.

Fallen Rose

BY

Monica Owens

EXCERPT

NOW

They huddled together on the musty, broken floor of the cave. Getting out of the mansion had been one thing. Getting out of hell was another thing entirely. He covered her body, shielding her as best he could from the dust and drip of the heavy stone around them. She shivered below him, the wet of her dress and petticoats chilling her and wetting his clothing.

Soldiers gathered in the courtyard of the mansion, set on finding the fugitives. Neither could think of that. They each knew the devil’s plan of attack, each step he would take to find them and punish them.

He, a soldier, knew full well the punishment for treason. She, a daughter, knew full well the punishment for escape. They each had taken their punishment once. A second time would no doubt obliterate them from any and all planes of existence.

She shivered and turned to take in his profile. Her small hand came up and cupped his cheek. “Do you remember when we met?”

Her attempt at distraction made him smile. “Of course I do.”

“You were the handsomest man I ever met.” She smiled. “Still are.”

Now he cupped her cheek and leaned to kiss her forehead. “You were the most beautiful woman I ever met. Still are.”

She snuggled closer, ever closer, and he pulled her ever tighter. The soldiers may come and punishment might destroy them, but their love was forever.

THEN

Chapter One

Seether

Roman whistled through his teeth. “Now that, my friends, is a fine ass.”

I glanced up from under the hood of the car I was working on. The ass Roman referred to belonged to a rock demoness, a high one, at that. The ass was nice, but the face could make Medusa cry. “Yeah, go get a piece,” I taunted. I reached to my right and snapped my fingers. “Socket wrench.”

While I waited for the newest soldier to our group to find the socket wrench, the demoness turned around. All blunt angles and red hue, the face would not launch a thousand ships. Maybe sink a thousand. Roman bit back a groan of disappointment.

“Shit, why can’t the bodies and the faces match?” He muttered.

“Because this is hell,” Brooks said, popping open a beer. “Something’s always gotta be off.”

I sighed and stood. The newest soldier was still looking around for the wrench I’d asked for. I grabbed the tool off the mobile work bench and shook it at him. He turned bright red with embarrassment.

Roman flopped back into his chair. “Shit.”

Brooks and I exchanged a glance and both of us smiled. Before the new recruit to my right, Roman was the newest of our bunch. I didn’t have a clue what his real name was, but he came to us wearing a toga and sissy leaves in his hair. So Roman he became. Didn’t know Brooks’ real name either. I certainly didn’t remember mine.

“I don’t understand all this,” the new recruit said softly.

I looked over at him. He was young. Maybe sixteen? He wasn’t ready to be a soldier quite yet, which was why he’d been forced out here with us. None of us were ready, or there weren’t any openings. Until there were, or until we were deemed competent, we stayed out here, away from the mansion, away from temptation.

“What don’t you get, boy?” Brooks asked.

“Well, any of it.”

Brooks and I exchanged another look, then glanced at Roman. Since he was the newest compadre, we felt he should explain. Right then, he was pouting and pointedly not looking at us.

I sighed. “Look, kid, there’s always a period of adjustment in a new place.”

“No,” the kid insisted. “I don’t know what this is,” he kicked a tire on the old car I was working on. “I don’t know what any of this stuff is. Like this.” He pulled out a cell phone and frowned down at it.

“What? Did you have a horse and buggy?” Roman asked snidely.

“Or a chariot?” Brooks asked, glaring at Roman.

Roman got up and swore under his breath. He stalked off across the garage, keeping his back to us.

“Look, kid,” I said in as nice a voice as possible. “No one knows how all this works. There’s shit here that no one’s ever seen before. We just have to get used to it and deal with it.”

“I don’t like it,” he muttered.

Selling your soul to the devil is a risky business. The kid would learn that soon enough. We’d all shown up here wide-eyed if not exactly innocent and we’d learned to accept it. We’d chosen this after all. From what I remember I was from the British Isles around 1500. Brooks was even older than that, although his people didn’t count years like mine did.

No matter where we were from, we were here now. Time didn’t move the same here. So this kid said he was from a place called the Missouri Territory and the year was 1879. Roman showed up right before the kid and he was obviously from a B.C. time

Description: Rose Red is the eldest of the devil and Lilith’s daughters. Seether is one of the devil’s soldiers. They were never supposed to meet. But once they did, Rose and Seether will do anything to stay together.

After their affair is found out, Rose Red is locked away in a tower, never to be thought of again by her parents. Branded crazy and a lunatic, even her sisters have forsaken her. But Seether never forgets her and even though he’s been punished severely for loving the devil’s daughter, he’s a soldier still.

Seether has attempted to break Rose free in the past, but this time he has succeeded. Now they need to navigate the dangerous terrain of hell to free themselves of Rose's parents, and the black cloud of deceit that got Rose locked up to begin with.

Reader Alert! Rose Red has been imprisoned in a tower for hundreds of years. Hold on tight because she finally gets free and want to make up for lost time.

To My Readers: Red is ready for her happy ending… Are you?

About the Author: Monica Owens lives in Texas but is originally from Wisconsin. She’s been married for more than 20 years to the man of her dreams and is mother to a menagerie of animals. When she isn’t working her 9 to 5 job, she’s working on the world of the fallen angels. Come along for the ride!